


just for tonight, let's pretend we're ok

by sorryiforgotmyusername



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Gen, Gift Fic, V3 spoilers, takes place during chapter 4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:21:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26371879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sorryiforgotmyusername/pseuds/sorryiforgotmyusername
Summary: Training. It seems so mundane, just going out to train with friends.It would have been completely mundane had we not been trapped in a killing game.
Relationships: Harukawa Maki & Momota Kaito & Saihara Shuichi
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7
Collections: August 2020 Server Gift Exchange





	just for tonight, let's pretend we're ok

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Mirror_Face](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mirror_Face/gifts).



> ok so i look at mirror's gift for me. it's platonic training trio. i look at my draft. it's also platonic training trio. we share a braincell dsfdGDFSDGDHJGG

It was 10:00 pm and the Ultimate Detective was not even close to asleep. You see, Kaito just asked Maki and I to train and… it had been a while. So I accepted, even though it was late (getting late? What even is time).

Training. It seems so mundane, just going out to train with friends. 

It would have been completely mundane had we not been trapped in a killing game.

I shudder. Nothing’s gonna happen to me, I know that but… I can’t be sure. And although the student council disbanded after the last deaths (don’t think of them don’t think of them don’t get into a depressive funk right before you meet your friends don’t think of them-) their curfew still weighs on the back of my mind, telling me this midnight escapade is wrong.

Well whatever. I’m almost there.

In the darkness, I see Kaito and Maki, sitting across from each other, silent.

I walk towards them, the cool night air and heavy silence chilling my body.

Time for awkward conversation. “Sooo uhhhh… how are you guys doing?”

Despite the… well, whole situation, Kaito grins. “Great now that my sidekicks are here!”, he replies, unleashing one of his ultimate bro moves: patting the both of us on the back at the same time.

“Imagine feeling great… couldn’t be me”, Maki muttered under her breath.

Kaito replies with a fake, exaggerated gasp. “How dare you?! No bad vibes allowed in this training session!”

Maki goes silent, a cold glare well, glaring at Kaito. “Ok I get you’re trying to raise our spirits but. Knock it off. Stop trying to give use false happiness with false positivity.”

For just a second he looks genuinely hurt. But almost immediately he changes his expression to one of playful exasperation.

“You don’t have to be so mean, y’know?”

Alright, he’s definitely trying to brush off Maki’s remark like nothing. But it’s obvious he’s shaken.

It’s weird… usually he guards his emotions way better.

Wait.

He just invited them to train at 10 freaking pm.

“This is a ploy, isn’t it”

“Uhh what do you mean?”

“The real reason you brought us here tonight wasn’t to train.” I give him a smile. “You just wanted to hang out with us.”

“Weeeell, ya got me.”, he says, nervously chuckling and scratching the back of his neck. “Look I… I just really needed to hang out with some friends tonight, y’know?” He pauses. “And I uhh… don’t love when my efforts to be positive are continually shut down.”

“Sorry about that.” Maki replies. “I don’t like wasting time on futile fantasies but. I should’ve known that you were feeling bad. I mean, now that I think of it— spur of the moment inviting us to train at 10 pm? Of course you were having a hard time and wanted company.”

“Hey what no I have no emotional issues whatsoever!”

Maki and I look at him with expressions that scream “Ⓧ Doubt”

“Ok so maybe I have a few emotional issues. But enough about me! How are you two feeling?”

We stay silent.

“Heey c’mon.”

Maki looks him dead in the eye. “You can’t run from your problems. They’ll only catch up with you in the end.”

Kaito sighs. “Look I… don’t want tonight to be an escapist fantasy. We… shouldn’t pretend that nothing’s wrong. But just for tonight I want to try and have fun. Try and have a good night, since it might be the last time we can.”

_Last time we can…_ it isn’t like Kaito to have such a defeatist attitude. Semi-teasingly I say “Sounds like you don’t think we’ll be making it out of here anymore.”

“No of course we’re gonna get out of here! All of us!”, Kaito exclaims. But his smile is weak.

_He doesn’t believe his own words._

I remember muffled coughs, growing seemingly more numerous every time he lets his guard down. Coughed-up blood he desperately tried to convince us meant nothing.

Fuck… is he..... 

You know what? Happy thoughts. Let’s have fun tonight. I can confront him later.

I speak up “... So, are we going to train?”

“Yeah”, the other two say in unison, Kaito’s yeah being a lot more enthusiastic than Maki’s.

“So!”, Kaito said, standing up leaderly. “Let’s start with a nice warm-up of 100 push-ups!”

I groaned. “You said tonight was gonna be fun!”

“Well, it’ll be fun for me to watch you! I gotta make sure my sidekicks aren’t skipping out.”

“Oh you’re doing this with us :)”, Maki said, impressively managing to imply an emoticon out loud.

“You know what actually change of plans! Let’s just do 20”

I sigh in relief. “That’s better”

“Cowards.”

“Hey not everyone is athletic like you!”, I say indignantly. “I can’t help being a physically (and emotionally) weak twink.” 

Maki barks out a short laugh. “Becoming strong is simple! Just be recruited as an assassin from a young age and be forced to go through tortuous training in efforts to make you the perfect assassin.” She pauses. “Actually don’t do that.”

Kaito looks at her. “Pats ok?”

Maki nods, and the both of us silently pat her on the back.

“Your experiences are not universal and I am so sorry you had them.”, I say.

“…Thanks. And very classy, quoting a meme.”

Before I can make a case for myself, Maki cuts me off. “So what happened to training?”

I, not a fan of push-ups, nobly present a case for why we should just skip doing those. But I lose this trial and soon I’m on the floor, bending my elbows as far as my weak arms will let me. Kaito’s not faring much better though, breathing heavily as he wearily completes another push-up. (Maki finished the 20 with ease and was now doing extra push-ups, “just to feel something.”)

Once the push-ups are vanquished, Kaito suggests a race around the field. I quickly agree to it- hey, at least I can jog in a race if need be.

Unsurprisingly, Maki kicks our ass, like she always does. But then we start making jokes about our performances and the conversation quickly devolves into laughter, then back to chattering as we jog around the field. It’s nice, really nice.

Nice to pretend we’re ok, just for one night.

**Author's Note:**

> damn this is the first oneshot i've written that has over 1,000 words
> 
> anyways hope you liked it mirror! fun fact: my other idea was them playing animal jam together. but, i didn't know if you even knew that game so i decided to not write that one lmao


End file.
